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WHL Medicine Hat Tigers

Tigers Find Their Groove in 7-3 Win Over Blazers

February 25, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release


Medicine Hat, AB - The Medicine Hat Tigers showed their offensive prowess in a 7-3 win over the Memorial Cup host Kamloops Blazers Saturday Night at Co-op Place

The Blazers got the Tigers back on their heels early just 2:28 in as Olen Zellweger would sneak a shot in tight past Tigers starter Beckett Langkow (Vegreville, AB) to make it 1-0 Blazers, with a shot advantage of 6-0. But the Tigers would get things back on track with their first power play of the night as Bogdans Hodass (Jelgava, LAT) finds a seam past Kamloops goaltender Dylan Ernst for his 10th of the year at 8:11 of the 1st from Dallon Melin (Czar, AB) & Brenden Lee (Seattle, WA). Over eight minutes later the Tigers would take their fist lead as Reid Andresen (Saskatoon, SK) gets his first goal in 27 games with his 6th of the year with a second assist to Melin to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead heading to the middle stanza.

The second period started off the right way for the home side just 20 seconds in as Andrew Basha would cash in with his 13th from Andresen & Beckett Langkow to make it 3-1, spelling the end of the night for Blazers starter Dylan Ernst. But the goals kept coming as history was made, when Brett Calhoon (Oliver, B.C.) scored his first Western Hockey League goal coming out of the penalty box at the five-minute mark to stretch the Tiger lead to 4-1. But the Blazers wouldn't step off as they'd get a late power play and Zellweger would get his second of the night to cut the lead to 4-2, despite a push from Kamloops, the Tigers would hit pay dirt late in the 2nd as Brenden Lee would bank a shot behind the red line beating Blazer back-up Matthew Kieper to push the lead back to three, as Medicine Hat would lead 5-2 after 40.

Off to the final 20 minutes where the Tigers would continue to turn up the heat offensively as Andrew Basha would score his second of the night 2:14 in from Oasiz Wiesblatt (Calgary, AB) on a give and go set-up. Caedan Bankier would respond for the road Blazers to cut the Tiger lead in half once again with his 30th tally of the season at 7:22 but with the Blazers pulling the goaltender with just over five minutes left in the 3rd, Tyler MacKenzie (Red Deer, AB) would chip his 15th of the year into the empty Blazer net to finish things off for the 7-3 score in favour of the Tigers.

The Blazers would end up outshooting the Tigers by the small margin of 31-30. Medicine Hat's power play was working at 1/4 on the night while the penalty kill went 4/6.

With the victory the Tigers improve to 24-23-8-1 on the season and vault themselves into 7th place in the Eastern Conference Standings, while moving to 3rd in the Central Division. Next up begins a busy week of home games for the Orange & Black starting with Tuesday night at Co-op Place where the Tigers re-acquaint themselves with the Swift Current Broncos, where it's 'Never Waste A Ticket' night where season ticket holders can exchange their unused tickets and exchange them for admission to the Tuesday game against Swift Current.

Don't forget starting on Tuesday will be our player autograph sessions, after the game starting Tuesday, Tiger players will have their sharpies out ready to sign hockey cards and other memorabilia. Those in line can get THREE items signed, if more is required, fans will have to go to the back of the line and start again to allow other patrons to have an opportunity at autographs.

The first set of Tigers for autographs will have Reid Andresen, Bogdans Hodass, Cru Hanas & Evan May.

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 25, 2023


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